Sunday, January 25, 2015

Unit 1 Prompt



I was exposed to the internet and the use of the computers back in 1992. Before that I never been experience it myself. So I grew with the paper and pen, and my social life was through using the home phone and postal mails.

When I started to teach as a teacher (k-8) in 1998 there was a big use for educational softwares like “Reading Rabbits”. I worked at an urban school. The use of technology like (I Station, X box 360, Play Station…ets) started to grow, later the Cell phones and IPods.

From my readings; Prensky assumed “based on his research” that children today (Millennials) are natives with the digital technology because they grew with it. A lot of the ideas and information he says relates back to my students lives and education now; but Prenskey have used web surveys that all circulate on social media sites in a rich place in Virginia.

I think we should not generate that digital age rules apply on all today’s children; for example there are children these days who are growing in a low income areas that never got the opportunity to use a cell phone or use a computer in their school.
Prensky assumes that digital children are better than adults in technology. We answer for this that they might be better than adults in using the IPhone, IPod, or tablet; but they are not any better in using complex things like educational platforms, google, Microsoft, spreadsheet, power point, blogs and so…

I am from the Generation X (1965-198), which many of them are connected to technology and can do complex things with technology in addition to their critical thinking skills.
There are some similarities and differences between the Millennials (1981-2000) and the Generation Edge (2000-2020), but we cannot tell before the Edge group are young adults in 2020.

The bottom line, we cannot draw our conclusions based on social media researches because it will cover one class or layer of people. 

7 comments:

  1. Yes, situations matter for the Native/Immigrant argument. Simply taking an iPad to a remote area in the world and expecting them to "know" how to use it is just as ludicrous as taking one of their ancient farming utensils and dropping it in a suburban school and expecting a child to know what to do with it.

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  2. Well put! You are definitely right in saying that not all children (digital natives) are necessarily better than the adults (digital immigrants) at using technology. I especially liked your point that many digital natives struggle with the use of certain things like using Microsoft Office, you can't just be "born" into that! As long as adults are willing to continue to grow with the technology, I don't see why we cant keep up with the digital natives.

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    1. I agree! I think that the distinction between software and App is a huge difference with in the Millennial. From what I have been seeing, the growth of fast and quick is replacing that of step by step. I hope that function and need both stay together as technology continues to grow and one is not over powered by the other.

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    2. Thanks Victoria that is very true. I have witnessed myself students in the classrooms in 8th grade that does not ever used PowerPoint, Google or knew how to search. All they are expert in gaming and apps that serves their desire to socialize.

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  3. So...the question becomes whether to teach "skills" in step by step fashion in order to facilitate the deeper thinking, and how do we go about doing that in an age of instant gratification?

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    1. I think by designing activities that enforce critical thinking, we may help students resolve deeper conflicts. The point is we need to get them engage them too.

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